Red Hook Lobster Pound - Shrimp Roll

Some say Red Hook Lobster Pound is the best in the biz.  I'm sure they crank out a great lobster roll, but I wouldn't know because I ordered a shrimp roll instead.  Lobster rolls are great, but they are dang expensive.  For only $10 (instead of $16) you can get a shrimp roll instead.  To me, it satisfies the same craving.  Maybe it's because I grew up in the Lowcountry where shrimp is far more prevalent than lobster, but in my mind it covers off the category of summer seafood sandwich.

At Red Hook, they use a garlic tarragon mayo to dress their skrimps.  I don't really care what herbs and spices they put in there.  What I like is that it's not too heavy.  Too much mayo takes away from the whole point of a shrimp/lobster roll.  Though my sandwich fell apart a bit, I'm not complaining because that means the shrimp to bun ratio tips in my favor.  It might not feel as cool ordering the shrimp roll instead of the lobster roll, but once you're eating it you'll forget that lobster is a bit more trendy.  You'll only remember when you look back at your wallet and realize, happily, that you can almost order two shrimp rolls for the price of one lobster roll.

North River Lobster Company

A good chunk of our Sunday was spent aboard the North River Lobster Company's vessel or, as I like to call it, "Lobstah Boat".  The downside is that there are no crazy food or drink specials so you can't plan this as an all you can drink booze cruise unless you plan to shell out the bucks.  The upside is that it's no-strings-attached easy.  The boat sets sail four times per day for a 45 minute ride around the Hudson.  You don't need to buy tickets to be able to leave the dock, you just have to be on the boat (which is free to enter).  The doors remain open while the boat is docked so you are free to chill for as long as you want.  In our case, we boarded at around 4:30 and hung around the deck, soaking up the sun and drinking beers (a bucket of 6 for $24 - a dollar off per beer) until the boat set sail at 6 PM.  At some point in there, we ordered some food.  I thought the shrimp po boy was definitely lacking, but I enjoyed the lobster roll.

Basically, this is like The Frying Pan, except it actually moves.  Since the company just launched, it's not crazy packed yet.  It's a great way to enjoy the views the city has to offer but with no sort of forced payment.  Some of the best things in life really are free.  I wish the lobster roll was one of them.

Brooklyn Oyster Party

I like any vendor who has the word "party" in their name.  Just saying the word party (or more accurately "partaaay") makes me want to start dancing.  Brooklyn Oyster Party was a new vendor at Madison Square Eats and the one that received the majority of Albert's attention.  

Getting a half dozen oysters on ice is the kind of thing you order at nice restaurants...not exactly street fair food.  But we were all decked out for the Derby and it was a beautiful day so it just felt right to glam it up a bit.  Because it was so out of the norm to see an oyster stall, it felt all the more classy.  There we were, sitting underneath a Marimekko umbrella, with a spiked lemonade in one hand and a freshly shucked oyster in the other.  

I liked that we were still able to choose our oysters upon ordering (two options for east coast, two for west).  It made it feel like they weren't sacrificing quality just because it was a stall at a pop-up food festival.  I was also a big fan of their cucumber ginger mignonette sauce.  Oysters are usually all about being traditional, but I liked this twist on the classic.  Then again, once you start shucking at a street fair, you've veered away from traditional already.

Pasta with Smoked Salmon

I recently wrote about making pasta with crème fraîche, just like I learned in France.  If you read that post, you may recall that my first crème fraîche pasta experience was when my French Mom served it with smoked salmon.  This time, I decided to take advantage of the beautiful Spring weather we had on Saturday and walk myself to Eataly where I could purchase high quality smoked salmon and fresh made pasta.  Inspired half by my study abroad experiences and half by Martha Stewart, the finished pasta was a perfect combination of European and American tastes.

After I found this recipe for farfalle with smoked salmon from Martha Stewart, I renewed my quest to recreate the French dish I had years ago.  I used the dill, capers, and red onion from the martha recipe but substituted crème fraîche for cream cheese and used a long pasta instead of a short one.  I'm not a fan of raw red onion, even when sliced super thin on a mandolin like it was here.  It's just not my thing and I can't be someone that I'm not.  If you like it, go for it; if you don't, there's no shame in leaving it out.  In the words of Beyonce, you're a grown woman you can do whatever you want.

This should basically be called the everything bagel pasta.  It has all the flavors you love from Sunday brunch, but the crème fraîche and fresh salmon make it feel distinctly European.  Quality salmon is key here.  You want it to be salty but not overwhelmingly so, and it shouldn't be so thick that you need a knife to cut through it.  This dish, especially if you use fresh pasta, is super light for a pasta meal so it is ideal for springtime.

Tiny Fork

We ended up at Tiny Fork when the wait at our original restaurant choice was too long but the discovery ended up saving us money in addition to time.  The LES spot has all the food you want from a seafood shack (oysters, fish and chips, corn on the cob) but in the low-lit, Odeon type of bar where you want to start your more sophisticated drinking for the night.  Thankfully, the prices skewed slightly more toward the oceanside shack levels.  True, the portions were not huge, but getting a kale caesar salad with jumbo shrimp for only $14 is a great deal.

Cilantro Lime Shrimp

Here in the North, shrimp is never the main meal.  I pretty much only ever see it as a shrimp cocktail appetizer or as the protein in a pasta dish.  But as a Lowcountry girl I'm used to shrimp being the main event.  When you can catch the main course for free off your dock, I'm not sure why you would rather go to the grocery store.  I'm making it my mission to show New Yorkers how great shrimp can be as the main course.  The best way to do that is by appealing to their trendy, healthy side.

I followed this recipe for cilantro lime shrimp and highly recommend it.  I served it over rice with a couple slices of avocado and a fresh salad on the side.  For people who don't think of shrimp as the main course, this meal will probably change their mind.  Follow it up by reminding them how healthy it is and they'll probably request the recipe.  Finally, tell them how unbelievably quick and easy the whole thing was and they'll probably stop at the grocery store for the ingredients on the way home.

Scallops and Herb Butter Pasta

My brother is a great eater.  If you go to a restaurant with him, he'll order the most out-there item on the menu.  Vegetables pose no threat to him and strange food combinations are exciting rather than gross.  But that wasn't always the case.  Growing up, my brother's diet consisted of three items: chicken fingers, peanut butter sandwiches (no jelly), and pasta with butter.  How boring.  It took about 22 years, but I'm glad my brother grew out of his picky eater phase.  He may, however, have been onto something with the pasta and butter.

I had some leftover garlic and herb butter from my radish and herb butter toasts that I wanted to use up and some linguine in the pantry.  Not only was I able to avoid wasting the butter, I was able to build a recipe that required almost zero effort, a necessity since I knew it was going to be a late night at work.  After the pasta was cooked, I tossed it with the garlic herb butter, salt, and pepper.  Tons of flavor, no work.  I said it in the radish and herb butter toast post, but I want to reiterate how easy it would be to make this butter yourself.  Basil, parsley, chives, and garlic.  Yum.

I topped the pasta with four large scallops.  Are you a little afraid of cooking scallops?  I was, too.  They always seemed to come out over or under done.  Fear no more because I've mastered it.  If you follow these steps, they will be perfection.  1) Pat the scallops dry 2) sprinkle with salt and pepper 3) once butter has melted in a pan (medium-low to medium heat) add scallops 4) cook two minutes per side.  That's it.  Two minutes is the magic number here.  And don't move them around in the pan.  If you let them sit, the butter will give them those yummy brown sides.

I give my Bubba some credit.  This version of butter pasta with scallops is a great meal.

Spicy Shrimp Breakfast Tacos

Years ago my family took our boat out for a weekend camping trip.  On the last morning I was put in charge of making breakfast out of whatever we had leftover.  I ended up making breakfast burritos out of shrimp we caught straight off the side of the boat and some cajun seasoning we had used on steak the night before.  I basically just threw stuff together, but everyone loved it.  Looking back, that's probably when I realized how happy cooking and feeding others makes me.

I decided to re-create that first cooking experiment for brunch the other weekend.  After scrambling some eggs I threw some grape tomatoes in the pan to start blistering.  I coated shrimp with cayenne, paprika, chile powder, and garlic powder (really get em good with that spice mix) and cooked them alongside the tomatoes.  It only takes a few minutes (about 2/side).  There's not much to assemble: tortillas, arugula, eggs, shredded cheese (barely any - the shrimp have tons of flavor), shrimp, and tomatoes.

It may have been simple enough for me to quickly whip up in my early cooking days, but that didn't make it any less delicious now.

Fish

Designing custom lipsticks can work up an appetite so after creating some custom shades, Karina and I headed to Fish for some supper.  I've walked by this West Village seafood spot plenty of times but never walked inside.  Why not?  Because seafood, particularly shellfish, is expensive when you're not in a place like Savannah.  All I had to do, however, was walk inside and see their daily special written on the board.  It would have been enough to hook me (that's a fishing reference, fyi).  For $8, you get 6 oysters or 6 clams and a glass of house wine or PBR.  A glass of wine alone would cost $8, as would 6 oysters.  This is a STEAL in the seafood world. 

We each started with the special and then shared an entrée for a perfectly sized meal.  We went with the fish and chips.  The cod was nice and flaky, piping hot, and perfectly battered.  And they were kind enough to split it for us before even bringing it to the table - points for service.

Bonna Bella

One of my favorite restaurants at home (we're talkin top 3 here) is Bonna Bella.  As a family not only from a Lowcountry/river town but whose home is actually on said river, we don't like to stray from the water and dining is no exception.  You can get to Bonna Bella by car or boat (more often than not, we go with boat) and though inside seating exists, I've never seen anyone using it.  Why would you when you can basically sit on a dock while you eat your food.  There's cornhole for while you wait for your food and a general laid back fun atmosphere.  I've never seen anyone in a bad mood at Bonna Bella.  One of my favorite dishes is she crab stew and they make some of the best around.  I had mine with a half pound of boiled shrimp and a beer.  Perfection.

Crab Stuffed Portabellos

On Sunday night I made one of the easiest recipes I could think of that also happens to look pretty fancy.  Crab stuffed portabello mushrooms are basically a crab cake stuck in an oversized mushroom cap, but since you have the mushroom for support, you don't need to add so much of the pesky filler.  

After cleaning out the stem and gills, I rubbed a little olive oil on the top of the mushroom and placed it face-up on a foil lined baking sheet.  Then I filled it with my crab mixture, which was basically just crab meat, mayo, panko bread crumbs, lemon juice, old bay seasoning, and parsley.  I stuck it in the oven for about 15-20 minutes at 350 and that was it.  

Besides being super easy, it's healthy if you use low fat mayo like I did.  It's a pretty gorgeous item to serve at a small dinner party as a replacement to the soup course and takes far less time to prepare.  Your guests will thank you for the change of pace.

Oyster Roast 2012

I added "2012" to this blog post's title because after the success of this year's event, it's sure to become an annual thing.  Oyster roasts are commonplace in The Lowcountry for good reason - they're freakin awesome.  Basically, you create a pit outside and roast the oysters on a grate above an open flame (we roasted 5 bushels - each weighs about 60 lbs).  Once they're cooked, you pour them out on the table and get to shucking.  The best part (other than the oysters themselves) is that everybody has great conversation while they're hunched over the picnic table, sleeves rolled up, batting away gnats with their elbows.  It's a fabulous southern tradition and one that I'm happy my brother introduced to our Thanksgiving weekend tradition.

Before I left for Savannah, Mark asked me if I would make any apps since he knows that's my specialty.  Just as I did for Thanksgiving, I made one fallback (bacon wrapped jalapeno poppers) and one new recipe. The newbie this time was Brussels sprout prosciutto sandwiches.  It was way easier than I expected.  You'd expect something this easy to be ugly, but it looks nice and pretty - like a bowl full of shiny emeralds.  Unfortunately, I forgot to take a picture so you can't see how good they looked, but check out this recipe to see where I got my inspiration.  I tweaked the original recipe a bit: I halved the sprouts, put them on a foil lined cookie sheet, and drizzled with oil and whatever spice blend I have lying around (big fan of Trader Joe's Everyday Seasoning).  Once they were nice and browned, I tore prosciutto into manageable bits, sandwiched between two halves, and skewered with a toothpick.  The original recipe calls for cooked prosciutto, but I think prosciutto is best as is.  Next to the jalapeno poppers, this app was basically a healthy salad.  I'm sure I'll make them again soon and won't forget to whip out the camera.  Allison also made a bangin app, but I'm not going to describe it now because I already have plans to steal it and make it for book club next month (giving her credit, of course) so you'll just have to wait on that one.

Photo courtesy of Greg Greenberg

 

Shrimp Burgers with Orange Aioli

Now that weddings have come and gone and my apartment is finally in order, it's time for life to return to normal.  A normal life for me means cooking well-rounded meals - no more takeout.  When I found huge, gorgeous shrimp on sale, I decided the recipe to mark the return to normalcy would be a shrimp burger.

I chopped up some boiled shrimp and mixed them with mayo, panko bread crumbs, salt, and pepper.  If you have a little cream cheese, try mixing that in as well to help bind it and add a little flavor.  I didn't have any cream cheese, but I did have some shredded mozzarella.  Turns out that works as well.  Everything is cooked, so just pan fry it until it's firm and browned to your liking.  Don't flip it too soon - leave it alone.  Let it get nice and browned before you flip it; otherwise, it will fall apart.  I know this from experience.  I rectified the situation, but it was no longer a perfect patty.  While the shrimp burger was cooking, I mixed some mayo with garlic, orange zest, red pepper flakes, and a little fresh juice from the orange.  I spread that on a toasted bun ant then topped it with the shrimp burger.  We're talking about a 15 minute meal, including boiling the shrimp.

Not all citrus is created equal.  Lemon/garlic is great with seafood, but the orange is an unexpected twist.  Those shrimp were probably all "hey Orange, who are you and what have you done with our good friend Lemon?"  And then the orange was like "chill brotha, we're gonna get along just fine."  And they did.  Looks like we've got some new friends in the refrigerator.

Aunt Carrie's Clam Cakes

Because laying on the beach wasn't relaxing enough, we spent our last afternoon in Rhode Island just driving around looking at typical New England streets.  We had zero plans and just went wherever the sights seemed worthy.  For me, worthiness is often related to food, so I wanted to make sure we tried some authentic New England seafood.  I missed out on the lobster roll, but I did try a Narragansett specialty I had never heard of: clam cakes.  I envisioned crab cakes made with clams, but discovered they were more like fried dough in funnel cake batter.  Basically, they're New England hush puppies with a faint essence of clam flavor.

We picked ours up from Aunt Carrie's, which [according to local Sam] is supposed to be the best.  They recommend dipping them in clam chowder but we were still too full from breakfast.  That was a big mistake on our part because I could tell how good it would have been.  They were also a cheap snack: less than $4 for half a dozen huge balls of fried dough.  If you are trying to convince yourself these aren't terrible for you, you'll have a hard time as you try to wipe away the grease that results from pulling these straight out of the deep fryer.  A heavy snack like this doesn't seem easy to handle on a hot day, but greasy fingers are no trouble when you get to wash them right off in the ocean.

Lobster Slaw Sandwich

I decided to pick up some lobster meat on the way home because I was getting home late and was sick of takeout so I needed something quick and easy.  Who am I kidding?  I was just looking for an excuse to make something with lobster.  I thought I was in luck and the lobster was on sale...unfortunately, I didn't realize until the cashier rung me up that I read the sign wrong and my lobster was actually quite pricey.  Too late!  Once I spent more than I originally bargained for, I needed to think of a way to stretch the meal and make the most of my expensive purchase.

To make the lobster go further, I kept it in large chunks and mixed it with broccoli slaw, a little mayo, lemon, salt, pepper, and a little Asian chili oil.  Served just like that as a salad is great, but I piled it into a hamburger bun and found it made a great sandwich.  The picture is a little deceiving - it really was more lobster than slaw.  It's not supposed to be a lobster roll but if it was, it would be a pretty good version.  Plus, a lobster roll will run you about $14 each, but this works out to about $10 per sandwich so I can feel better about splurging on the expensive meat.

Catch Me If You Can

Since Jen will soon be moving to Atlanta (I almost cried just writing that), we're trying to squeeze in as many New York moments as possible.  The first thing we wanted to do was hit up a true scene - girls only.  Catch is the latest and greatest restaurant to heat up Meatpacking which means it had to be our destination.  From what we heard, this place is more about the scene than the food so we stuck to apps, which were supposed to be more reliable than the entrees and allowed us to try more of the menu. 

We were intrigued by the hellfire roll, which features pear and balsamic.  The reduction and pear together made for a sweet roll that was good but not very sushi-like.  Next came the salmon belly carpaccio with yuzu and watercress - a simple dish that hit all the right notes.  The scallop dumplings were a waitress suggestion and may have been my favorite of the evening.  The wonton wrappers were thin enough to let you enjoy the texture of the chopped scallops.  It's not pictured, but our next app was the crispy shrimp.  These had less spicy mayo than your typical rock shrimp, but the flavor was all there, miraculously, without that extraneous goop.  The shrimp were also larger than normal so that gets an extra bonus point.  We ordered a side of lobster mac and cheese because...it's lobster mac - we couldn't resist.  It was just as creamy as we had hoped.  For the one non-seafood dish of the night, we ordered the mushroom spaghetti with tomatoes and a parmesan cream sauce.  I honestly didn't expect much from that one, but found it very comforting.

Although I said plenty of times that I didn't want this to be any sort of birthday celebration, Steph and Jen managed to order a dessert platter while I was in the ladies' room.  What sneaky girls!  It was a plate full of all sorts of cookies, including a gooey chocolate chip straight from the oven.  I have such amazing friends who know the way to my heart is an extra plate of food!

I'm sure I went in with low expectations, but I was pleasantly surprised by the food.  It turns out Catch is more than just a pretty face place to see pretty faces.  Their seafood small plates are worthy of a pre-lounge dinner.  I'm not going to lie; it was expensive (another reason to stick with the apps), but that comes with the Meatpacking territory.  I also highly recommend the Death by Bartender drink for a spicy whiskey punch in the face.  If you want something a little more refreshing and a little less alcoholic, go with the Iris for a fun summer cocktail.

Shrimp Salad Cups

Because I'm hoping to start renovating my kitchen soon, I'm trying not to unpack the boxes of kitchen supplies and utensils and have been eating off paper plates since I moved.  Because I would be utterly poor if I ordered take out every night, I've been trying to keep up the cooking but with recipes that require few pots and pans.  This inevitably leads me to make simpler meals with fewer ingredients.  I've learned simple often correlates to fresh and healthy (yay! considering bikini season has just arrived), but simple can also mean harder to design interesting dishes with limited resources and ingredients.  I think I did pretty well this time with the shrimp salad I made this weekend.

Now that it's warming up, I'm happy having a chilled meal to cool me off at dinnertime.  I mixed shrimp with mayo, hearts of palm, and capers.  The capers have enough salt for the dish, but I added a dash of pepper and garlic powder for seasoning.  I piled the salad inside purple cabbage leaves because we eat with our eyes first and I thought it looked nice and pretty that way.  I'm not a big fan of celery in tuna/chicken/shrimp salad, but you need more than just protein and mayo to make it a meal and this combo is just about perfect.

  

Feeling Blue

I have been to Atlantic Grill often, but I have never been to its big brother, Blue Water Grill, in Union Square.  The menus are similar and by that I mean they both serve no nonsense fish; however, Blue Water Grill is in a far more grandiose space that I now know is an old bank.  The ceilings are sky high with a large daisy design and the main area is a split-level so you get the panache that a staircase always adds to a room.  

The fish was perfectly cooked and my swordfish steak managed to flake apart and not dry out as is often the case.  It was blackened and served over a sweet potato and crab hash and a red curry cream broth.  I liked having the sweetness of the hash to take down the spiciness of the blackened seasoning.  I actually preferred eating the sweet potatoes and crab separately since the potatoes have a strong flavor that can drown out the crab.  You probably know Blue Water Grill serves great fish, but when true seafood-only restaurants are harder to find, it's worth repeating. 

  

Trader Joe's Knows

Like any warm blooded mammal, I love Trader Joe's.  If you aren't obsessed with their consistently delicious, inexpensive, and widespread selection, I don't know how you function in society.  I recently discovered the recipe section on the Trader Joe's website and it gave me yet another reason to love the store.  One of the joys of Trader Joe's is their pre-seasoned food items.  They do all the work for you and make the flavors usually found only in gourmet stores accessible to all.  Sometimes, however, I understand that you want to make the dishes your own.  By mixing the curry chicken with fresh veggies and putting it atop refrigerated dough, for example, you get a new take on pizza that's semi homemade.

I didn't make any curry chicken pizza, but I did make a great, healthy scallop dish, courtesy of the website.  After rendering the fat of some chopped bacon, I added in sliced leeks, chopped apple, and thyme and sauteed for about 8 minutes.  Unfortunately, I got distracted and ended up sauteing for more than 8 minutes, resulting in a less crunchy veggies, but it was still tasty.  Once the veggies and bacon are ready, add your scallops and cook them for about 1.5 minutes per side.  Add some salt and pepper and serve it all over pasta (I would have preferred spaghetti but only had shells in the house).  The apples and applewood smoked bacon gave the dish a sweet flair, which scallops pick up well.  Apples and leeks are two ingredients I rarely use so I was thankful to be given a little guidance.  Traditional cookbooks are great, but it's good to know what a great resource Trader Joe's website is.  This recipe may have utilized a few pre-seasoned or chopped ingredients, but the final product seemed to be all mine.       

Sour Cream Sauce

After I took the last bite of this fish, I picked up the phone to call my mother so I could tell her she absolutely had to make it this week.  It looked fine enough on Pinterest, but the result was way better than I could have imagined.  In a bowl, combine low fat sour cream, minced garlic, fresh dill, green onion (white and light green parts, reserving some light green pieces for garnish), and parmesan cheese.  Slather that stuff all over halibut and bake at 350-400 for 15-20 minutes.  Make no mistake, when I say slather, I mean it.  Really give it to that sucker.  The sour cream is light and will thin out while cooking so when you plate it, you can just spoon it right back on top. This was one of those dishes where every ingredient played a role and could be tasted.  The sour cream was slightly tangy, the garlic a little spicy, the dill fresh and aromatic...you get the idea.  Maybe it's because I'm shocked at how quick and simple it was, but if I could, I would make it again tonight.   

I served it with portobello mushrooms that I stuffed with creamed spinach.  If you want the easy way out, buy frozen creamed spinach.  If you want a healthier version where you control the amount of cream and cheese, make it yourself.  It couldn't be much easier to wilt spinach, add some cream, parmesan, nutmeg, salt, and pepper.  The flavor of the fresh spinach is much stronger than its frozen friend and it takes about the same amount of time to prepare.